A double play

With rare exceptions (such as a new translation of a foreign-language work), the rule we've followed with BookMen selections throughout our history is that any edition of the book is fine. The main purpose of that policy is to spare members the trouble and expense of acquiring a second copy of a book, but it also has a secondary benefit. Sometimes a different edition contains an introduction or other scholarly apparatus that resolves a question about the book that isn't addressed in the edition most of us are using.

That said, the edition of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I selected from Amazon.com for tomorrow night's discussion is different from the original: Edward Albee's own 2006 revision of his 1962 play. (Take a moment, by the way, to consider how remarkable it is that the play has remained popular enough to be revived repeatedly, and that the playwright lived long enough to revisit an early work.) So I thought it would be useful to post some additional info about that, courtesy of Wikipedia.

"The play was revived on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre, opening on 12 March 2005, in previews and closing on 4 September 2005, after 8 previews and 177 performances. Directed by Anthony Page, it starred Kathleen Turner as Martha and Bill Irwin as George, with Mireille Enos as Honey and David Harbour as Nick. Irwin won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role. The production transferred to London's West End at the Apollo Theatre with the entire original cast, running from 31 January to 13 May 2006. In January 2007, the production played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for one month. On 6 February 2007, the production began a six-week run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

"Notably, it was this 2005 production that led to the publication of a revised script – one that has been used ever since – although many of its revisions were introduced in earlier productions. Among the revisions was the removal of early references to George and Martha's son, as well as the reference to the fact that George felt that he helped cause his parents' death, which was originally the subject of his failed novel. A roughly seven-page scene with George and Honey at the end of Act II has also been removed completely. These and other changes seem to be there to clarify plot points, but arguably rob the play of some of its ambiguity and tenuous relationship with realism."

And here's one more tidbit about the play from the same Wikipedia entry: "In 1970, Henry Fonda and Richard Burton attempted to recruit Warren Beatty and Jon Voight for an all-male production, but Albee refused permission." I would love to hear more about that!